Of Wolf and Master
by White Osprey
Summary: The story of the turk leader, Tseng's life. From childhood to final resting. Contains spoilers and at least shounen-ai in later chapters. Will develop into Tseng/Rufus, will include a one-sided Tseng/Aerith. Will be rated M for possible later chapters
1. To you, the Wolf

_Note;; This is the story of Tseng's life. Most is made up in my own head, because I'm bored and awhsome like that xD. If my timelines are off, shoot me._

_The religion in this is basically my own, because i like making faiths up XD Basically, Spirit animals are representatives of your personality, usually an element complies with this. When you die, you enter the Fields of Ariu, where you can await for the spirits of loved dead ones to enter or you can find Leviathan. In the fields of Ariu you take the form of your spirit animal. Should you find the god, you will either be given freedom to end life forever and enter a state of peace if you have lived a non-sinful life, or be forced to re-live life again and continue the cycle of suffering. Your sins will be paid for by drinking the blood of the victims you have harmed, and then you will be reborn to the world as your spirt animal, from then on Karma plays its game until you are human again and given the chance to enter the final state again. Umm I think thats all you need to know really. So enjoy._

Chapter 1.

**To you, the Wolf**

A single bird sings, its laconic melody bursting out across the once silent landscape. The early light of day pours upon its feathers, and its sweet song continues to pour from its tiny black beak. Its eyes glimmer with the glow of life, and its song reflects that, a celebration of the dawn. Then the bird takes to the skies, its song still playing all across the quite landscape, and with it more begin to sing, a rising chorus. The melody drifting high into the air, cutting up through the mountain side and rising into the sky. All of life seemed to be celebrating, the grass and the trees swaying in time with the music. The wind whistling through the Wutainese buildings, stirring the wind chimes and causing another melody to be played along side nature. The humming of a single woman was played in tune with a birds song. She knew each and every whistle well, having paid attention to nature for so long. The birds where second nature to her, and so easy was it to simply listen and gain the secrets that the forest held.

The Shamaness smiled, her body old with age but her mind fresh with youth and intellect. Today was the day the children of the small mountain village neighboring the great city of Wutai learned of their spirit animal. Today was the first awakening, the day they got their marks and officially became followers of Leviathan. It wouldn't be long after they got their spirit animal marked forever over their Point of Life, or belly button, if you prefer.

She herself was a Black Fire Ram, a creature of a stubborn personality but a soul that burned with raw passion. The black represented only that she was childless, something expected of the Shamaness. Raising her hands, the fire materia in her cloak glowing and soon after lighting the small semi-circle of candles. The fires would not go out until deep into the night, when the last child had been seen to and the last spirit animal revealed. Already the first was approaching, early though the child and his mother where, it was good for the Shamaness. Perhaps she wouldn't have to stay up too late this night.

"White Vixen, you have come early to seek the path of the dawn for your child?" the Shamaness asked, addressing the scrawny lady. The woman she had spoke too was tall, dark bags underneath her eyes and light wrinkles serving only to enhance her age. . Her eyes, though the most brilliant shade of blue, where dull, so lacking in life, empty almost. Her lips formed a deep frown, her long black hair unkempt. Her whole appearance screamed "gray". A lonely soul perhaps, lost her way, wary as she watched her only child. Yet those of the village knew full and well what had happened to her.

And blamed her for it.

The child was looked upon with disgust by everyone but the mother and the Shamaness. The village children refused to play with him, insulting him and mocking him. What good was a son without a father? And a mother who allowed her lover to run away? Both where foes, neither belonged in this village. Outsides, a disgrace. Yet the Shamaness would have none of it. She was older, she had wisened. She had learned of the White Vixen's hardships. She knew the Vixen had a strong will to raise a child through all this, being a single mother was hard enough, never mind being persecuted for it. Seya, the mother vixen, that was her true name. The name the Shamaness could not even bare to say.

"Come child" she smiled, that welcoming smile the child had so rarely seen. He himself was obvious nervous, the excitement brimmed from him. He didn't move however, until his mother touched his shoulder, nodding in reassurance. It was okay. He could trust her. So typical of those born to the Vixen, so caring for their cubs. After this touch he came so swiftly, bowing and sitting himself below the Shamaness. He had obviously been prepared for this. The Shamaness spread her arms, her hands clasping with the seated child. "Are you ready, Tseng?"

The child smiled, obviously happy to hear his name spoken in a soft tone, instead of the usual mocking way or in disgust. "I am" he sang out, the excitement overcoming him. He was obviously so hopeful to be one of the "cooler" animals, such as a dragon or tiger. Sad as it was, most would turn out to be something completely against their expectations, such as an ant or a mouse. All where good, but at a young age only the more aesthetic animals proved to be popular.

She bows her head, allowing the summoning to begin. Letting go of the childs hands she steps back, a bird suddenly flying to her from the trees. It seems to dance around her before flutting back off into the sky, and she begins to spin and dance. Her body so old and wrinkled, one would not expect such a withered woman to dance with such grace and elegance. She raised her hands above her head, the fires around her leaping wildly, and her eyes began to glow. The shadow of the ram became visible before her, its great horns thrust back as the shadow leapt wildly. She herself could see only the great fields of Ariu, and before her a Vixen. Where the child had stood now lay a wolf, chocolate eyes raised to look at the Shamaness. It was pure black in colour, as to be expected. The wolf was far beyond the childs years, a look at the future. She could tell instantly what element it was, Ice. Its cool, almost knowing stare mixed with its blank, almost emotionless eyes told her that. The wolf raised its head, the white mark on its head glowing slightly, and for a moment she thought it looked almost regal. Then the fields began to vanish, her soul growing cold and the candles flickering. Her dance stopped, her eyes closed and she breathed heavily.

"Child, you are born of the wolf."

_Chapter 2 coming soon. Please Review if you like. :3_


	2. Leave this place

_Note; Sorry for taking so long in updating, been busy with school work and such XD Rather short chapter, they will get longer._

Chapter 2

**Leave this place**

The shamaness took a single candle, and blew it out, the flame doused forever. The mystery of the flame had been unvieled, there wasn't any more use for it. When she spoke again, she seemed to completely forget the child was there, her eyes focussing souly on the mother. her face was grave, and the mother vixen tensed, preparing herself for bad news. She knew what it meant to be born under the wolf...

"Being born of the Wolf is not a good thing, Seya. They have some good traits, such as mating for life and loyalty for their pack beyond all bounds, but the bad outweighs the good. They thirst for blood, crave the taste of death. Although he doesn't look like it, he will become a sadistic killer. He cannot be tamed. As soon as he tastes blood, which he will, he will long for more. The desire will overcome him... They are nothing more than war fodder, destined to be soilders. If he has enough brains he could become a general, perhaps. Wolves tend to always fight for the top rank, to be the best of the best. Though most are not stong or smart enough to become Alpha. Yet, what makes me fear for him the most is that he is born under the sign of ice..." She frowned, lowering her eyes, as if embarrsed about what she was going to say next. "Although his emotions may flow like a river now, they will freeze. He will become so cold, and though water will still flow through him, he will always adorn a mask of ice. This means he will kill without remorse... Seya, White Vixen, my advice to you is to leave this village with your child. We have no place here for an Ice Wolf. No place here for a monster"

The woman opposite the shamaness paused, her blue eyes growing wide. The soulessness that had been seen previously was gone, now they burned with a fire. Rage contored her features, and she physically shook with anger. It was meer seconds later the shamaness felt a stinging sensation run through her cheek, a pale hand raised in the air.  
"How... Dare you ask me to leave?" hissed the vixen, her eyes narrowed considerably. "How dare you say my child will be a monster..."  
The Shamaness had a hand raised to her red cheek, the pain surging through her face as it began to numb. She tried to speak, but was cut short by the enraged mother

"Silence your spiteful tounge. What words you say to be won't matter. My child and I shall not leave. This home is mine." She snorted, turning on her heels, taking her child's hand. The child himself was distressed, confused about what was going on and upset that his mother was angry. As she walked away, tipping over candles that stood in her way, the Shameness spoke again.

"Oh Seya... Mother Vixen who defends her cubs so powerfully, you will not stop the monster growing within him. He will kill, Seya, but he'll never harm you. You'll never know of the beast within him, he'll only show you his loving side... I beg of you to leave. To make our village safe. We cannot have his kind here..."

Seya stopped for a moment. Turning her head look back over her soulder, blue eyes narrowed. Then her hair blew in front of her eyes, and so she continued walking. The child watched the shamaness, an apologetic look on his face. As if trying to say sorry for his mothers behaviour. Or perhaps apologising for the trouble he himself felt he had caused.

The Shamaness only smiled.


	3. The Call of Battle

Chapter 3

**The Call of Battle**

They had walked in silence back to their house. Not a word had passed.

The child keeping himself to himself, wanting to speak but seeing the look on his mothers face and deciding to keep silent. When they had finally entered the home, he unwound his hand from his mothers, running inside and slipping his shoes off. Sliding on a pair of slippers, his mother doing the same, they both returned to the living room. After a few moments of silence, the child finally burst. "Mother, what just happened?"

"I've told you before, Tseng" she snapped back, "Don't question my decisions. I'm doing what is right for you..."

Instantly after saying it, the look on her child's face caused a pang of sorrow mixed with guilt to run through her. Sighing, she closed her eyes. Opening them again and walking over to her child, her slippers clicking against the wooden floorboards, she bent down.

"Oh Tseng..." She whispered, running her fingers through his hair. "... I'm sorry... " Wary, but enjoying the affection, the child embraced his mother. "I'm going to tell you something... And you must listen to me, Tseng. The world is a cruel, horrible place. People kill each other over nothing. People will hate you, will loath you for your entire life, even if they know nothing about you. People are monsters, they aren't afraid to bite. There will be people who pretend to be your friend, but behind their smiles they're glaring."

She was unsure wether he was taking any of this in, but he listened. He didn't question her advice, her knowledge. He respected her as the adult, as the superiour. If he dared question she'd cut off his tounge with a sharp slap or punish him. So he simply nodded against her shoulder. The woman sighed again, withdrawing her arms and her affection. "Come on, little wolf of mine. It looks like I'll have to be the one to mark you" She smiled, touching the child's forehead. "I've never done this before, so don't blame me if I do this wrong and you look like an idiot for the rest of your life."

He laughed, the innocent childhood laugh he had learned to perfect. It was a false laugh, one he had pracised day in and day out, pretending to laugh against the world that so seemed to loath him. Right now, he was more nervous than anything. The idea of her mother marking him on the forehead struck fear within him.

Days passed, and life carried on. The dot shape on his forehead matched that of the rest of the children. The small tattoo of the black wolf around his belly button had came out fairly well aswell, considering his mothers lack of skill. In school the kids tended to ignore him now, too intrested in the excitement of having their animals discovered. It was better than being mocked, he had supposed. Things continued as normally, teachers taught, mothers cooked, fathers worked, drunks fought. No one could have prepared for the monsters that loomed on the horizon.

Dawn broke another day. Birds sang in joy, singing to the gray clouds that adorned the eternal canvas. A great black river snaked its way through the gray, threatening rain or perhaps even thunder later in the day. Light pools of sunlight broke the clouds, forming celestial rays in the distance. It was saturday, and under his mothers order, Tseng was studying. It was just another day, though it would be this day that would revolutionise his life. As his pencil flowed, the scrappy lettering moving elegantly across the page, the chocobo's snorted. As he came to finish his sentance, the helicopter blades spun. As he placed the pencil down, looking for his book, the first scream ripped through the air. As his head snapped up and he rushed towards the window, the first bullets where fired.

Outside, dirt splayed beneath Chocobo claws, the birds suited in red armour being dragged about by their masters. He saw a flash of red as fire materia was used, but the man who had cast it was quickly slaughtered. That weas the first time he had witnessed death, seeing the blood sray from the young man's jaw, his neck snapping back and the lonly figure falling down amoungst the dirt. Chocobo's stampeeding over him.

He heard footsteps soon after, his mother's arms around him, trying to drag him away from the window. Yet he was locked, transfixed on the body that lay, unaware that he was screaming in terror. His mother finally pulled his fingers out from the windowledge, dragging downstairs. He could barely hear what she was saying, lost within his own world. He felt his mother grab his cheek, forcing him to face her. They where at the bottom of the stairs. He had never seen so much fear in those azure blue eyes.

"Tseng, go out the back door. You must hurry and you must hide near the undergrowth by the mountain side. You know where I mean?" He nodded. "If i do not join you by nightfall, then you must leave. No matter what happens, go down the mountainside, follow the road to Wutai. Only go at nightfall, do you understand me?"

He nodded again, tears forming in his eyes.

"Keep still and keep silent my darling, no go."

"Mother, why?"

She didn't answer, simply dragging him through the living room and throygh the kitchen, forcing him out the door. The young child looked back, he was terrified out of his wits. Confused, unsure as to what to do. Yet he obayed his mothers words, running cutting through the field near his home and burning himself in the undergrowth. Thorns stung at him, but he kept still and the pain began to subside. There was where he lay, watching his house.

After about half an hour, he saw two soilders knock on the door. His mother answered, and that was the last time he saw her, alive or dead.

She welcomed them into her home.

"You're name?" asked one of the soilders, pointing a gun in her face.

"Seya Namikawa"

"You're occupation?"  
"I clean houses."

"You sure have a nice house here, if you don't mind me saying, Seya, how could you afford a place like this?" asked the soilder on the right, a thin smirk froming over his face. There was a gleam in his eye, one that Seya caught. She loathed him more than ever.

"It was my mothers.."

"Got any kids?" asked the same man, "Hiding them in cupboards somewhere?"  
"I am childless" she hissed.

"Good, don't want no brat seeing what's going to happen to you. You got two choices, you fight us and die here, or you come with us and get a nice little job at ShinRa."

She spat in his face, disgust coming over her features. "Do you not know of Honor? I would never let myself come with you. This is my home, I was born here and I will die here"

The man's face turned into something of rage, and he grabbed the back of her hair, coiling his fingers into a tight fist and driving her head down against a table. She cried out in pain, but no tears followed afterwords. She would not let them see her fear. "You little bitch. I gave you a fucking chance. I'll just have to teach you a lesson before I drive three bullets in your pretty little face."

"Aren't you being too harsh on her?" asked the second soilder

"Get the fuck out if you don't want to see this then" Came the harsh reply, to which the other male complied, leaving the house and standing outside.

The first soilder returned to his pretty little Wutainese prize, bring his lips to her ear and licking it. She tasted good.

She shuddered in rage, trying to force herself around to claw out his eyes, but as he smashed her head against the table again she went limp. Unable to fight it any longer. Her words came out in a hiss, her nose broken, blood spilling out over her lips, yet still she forced the words out. "This has happened to me before, if you think I fear this, I don't. From the last time I bore the most beautiful child I have ever known, something scum like you could never understand. So rape me. Kill me. But you will never have me or my child." She spat blood in his direction again, missing his face.

A few seconds later, a gunshot fired into the air, causing the three crows that had sat on top of the house to scatter into the sky.


	4. City of Delusion

Chapter 4

**City of Delusion**

As soon as the gunshot was fired, Tseng was on his feet. His mothers words could not hold him back, the fear and the rage pulsating through him. He cried out for his mother, as all children do, desperation in his voice. And as he called for her, two soilders turned round, watching him run towards them. One was covered in blood, the second stood nervously, unsure what to do. "I'll kill you!" was the only words they could understand within the howls of pain, the chocked sounds that came from his throat and between the tears. They watched as the child fell amoungst the dirt, before the blood stained soilder made his move. He ran over, forcefully dragging the child from the dirt, scrapping the boys knees in the process. The child clawed at him, screaming, until the soilder threw him to the ground. Taking out a club he raised it above his head, so easy would it to be to smash the wutainese pest's head open like a watermellon. The child struggled on the ground, blinded by rage, struggling to stand again, the wind knocked out of him.

As he swung his baton down, however, a gunshot rang out into the sky. Glancing upwards, the soilder saw a sight that made him tremble, and he dropped his weapon, standing back with hands raised. "I wasn't doing nothing, sir. Wasn't doing nothing. I was just trying to paralyse the brat, I swear!"

"Shut up Riley. I don't want to hear none of your shit," the heavily armoured general strutted over to the thing writing in the dirt, calmly placing her boot on the child's stomach. "If you move, I'll crush you're rib cage" she hissed, pushing down slightly harder on the soft skin as a warning. Needless to say, Tseng kept still, dark eyes staring up at her through the tears, jaw slightly agape.

"Good. You can understand me and obay orders. That's better than what these two can do. Perhaps you'll be a good soilder."

She smiled cooly, before it vanished and she turned to glare at the one he learned had been named Riley. "You know the orders, woman and children have to be kept alive and taken back to Midgar to be reabilitied. I swear Riley, if i catch you disobaying my direct orders again, I'll tear your balls out."

The solider simply hung his head, his friend imitating. She shook her head, lifting her metal boot and pulling the child from the dirt. "Up, now. You speak english?"

He nodded, eventually chocking out a "Yes" and then decending into a coffing fit.

She waited for him to finish before speaking again. "Good, that makes the chances of you surviving so much greater." She nodded towards the second soilder. "Marco, knock him out"

"Okay Alexia..."  
Tseng looked up at her in suprise, feeling like he had just been betrayed until his head collided with metal and he felt himself falling.

When he awoke he could see others around him. Some where children, most seemed to be adults. As far as he could tell, all of the adults where female. "Mother?" he called pointlessly, knowing she would not reply. One of the females lifted her head, the only other awake. She stared at him for a while, before lowering her eyes sadly. He tried to move, and became vaugly aware that they where moving. He began to relize they where in the back of a van or something, the walls around them painted black. No light fell from the window behind him, and when he stood to look out of it, he cried out in suprise. He was handcuffed, unable to part the tight metal. The same female looked up at him again, smiling reassuringly, but didn't say a word. He lowered his eyes, standing and turning to look outside the window. The window itself was tiny, but through it he could see the great fires that consumed the black sky to the distance. Like a dragon rising. He closed his eyes, and sobbed silently. As his village burned to the ground, so did his soul.

He hadn't realized that most of the others where not asleep. Most where doing the same as he.

Dawn broke a new day, he had no idea how long he had sat in that van, but he had refused to sleep. He had a feeling he wouldn't sleep for a long time. His soul had frozen over, he was left with nothingness. No more tears. He had grown so cold, so horribly cold. The Shameness had been right, he had frozen over. This was who he was now. If he didn't open himself up to anyone any more, he wouldn't have to be hurt. He wouldn't feel the pain he had before, and was still nursing.

This was the way it would be.

The van had been on boats, he had heard the waters slap at the sides. Yet aside from that it had never stopped driving, not until now. It had been still for sometime now, but he heard no sound of water. He couldn't hear birds or animals, but he could hear voices.

It wasn't long until the van's doors where ripped open, and a grinning figure stood before them. "Ladies and children, come with me." They where lead like cattle, watched curiously by people throughout the dirty city that pailed out before them. He had never seen a world so big. Lead in bare feet -he had lost his slippers previously- he stared curiously at this world. Great gray tubes and wires seemed to snake their way through the massive city, people talked and shouted, bad language thrown from every mouth around. He saw things on the roads he wished he hadn't. He saw buildings stand like they where made of cobble, built from nothing to serve nothing.

He could hear a train in the distance sing a long sad dirge, its single note trailing out across the landscape. It reminded him of home.

_Bwah, thank you all for the reviews and such. :3 I promise to update more frequently Once a day at least, if I can  
And have Ruffy-kins in this soon XD I just really wanted to draw out the childhood sequence, since it's the main thing that mad eme want to write this fanfic.  
And, I don't have word, and I'm too lazy to spell check until it's finished, so for now, bare with it please xD_


	5. We walk this road alone

Chapter 5

**We walk this road alone**

They had walked for what had seemed like an endless age. The sharp rocks and litter left on the ground cut their feet open, leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind them. One child, younger than he, around 8 or so, had fallen behind. Her feet where bloody and sore, and she was shuddering in the cold. Her breath came out in wreaths of vapour, dancing for a while before waning into the atmosphere. It was so cold, it felt like the skies themselves might crack like ice. She tripped over something disguarded on the pavement, slicing her knees open as she did so. One woman, obviously her mother, distressed, ran back for her. However, one of the guards that had been marching them along grabbed her, pulled her back. She cried out for her child, who screamed for her. Another guard walked over, and the screaming only intensified. The child tried to stand, blood pourning from her knees. There was a gun shot, and a few moments later the blood poured no more. She lay still upon the ground, bright eyes opened to the sun.

There was silence aside from the mothers screams as she clawed against the guard, fighting to say her final goodbye. Fighting to prove that this reality was not true, that all of this was just a dream. She was knocked out a few moments later, seen more useful than a child and so deserving to live. The two guards dragged her down the rest of the walk, ruining the beautiful silk kimono she had dawned.

Needless to say, no one fell behind again.

It was not long until they reached the end of their journey, the walk over. He had been forced to huddle against himself, trying to soothe the fear and the coldness that had left him so exposed. It felt like daggers stabbing in against him. The rising sense of fear simply would not pass, yet now he refused to cry. No more tears. No more outside pain. He would show them that he was above that, he would show them that they would not hurt him any further. They may have taken everything from him, but they would not claim victory over him. The silent promise he had made to himself, one that tasted bitter in his mouth.

If he had simply listened to his mother, he knew he would not be here right now. He knew his mother had sarificed herself for him, that it was her blood spilled for him. If she had followed him, they would have been caught, she more easy to spot than he. He would have been safe within the great walls of Wutai, he would have lived life as a monster hunter or a bread seller, but at least he would have been free from these chains. He pulled uselessly against his handcuffs, the jingling sound that rang out like mocking laughter.

They where set out into a row, forced to stand still as inspectors examined them. Those slaves infected with illness or obviously too weak where taken away. Tseng didn't want to think where, but he watched as they sadly walked away. Each step so precious, each one the last one they would take. Every moment became cherished, it was the last one's they would have. He lowered his head, submissive to this new force that had completely and utterly dominated him.

The rest of those few left, and there wheren't many, where further inspected by various other people. He was constantly touched, examined like cattle to the slaughter, teeth and tounge looked over. He couldn't fight back, if he did he knew he would be killed. He had come this far to survive, he had no reason to throw it all away now.

People where lead away from there, and it wasn't long until he realized it was just himself and a few others. He made note that all of them where children. The rising sense of fear began to grow. What if those left where to be taken to the same place the others had gone? He didn't want to be like the girl he had seen previously. He didn't want to to have lifeless eyes staring into oblivion.

Tseng's guardian angel was a thin man with pursed lips and narrow eyes. His nose was hooked, his skin bloched and pale. He had an ungrateful atmosphere around him that made Tseng resent him instantly. "I'll take him" he pointed towards the black haired child. "We'll need to cut his hair, and he needs a bath, but he can come with me."  
And that was it. The passing over, no other questions asked. Only one condition to be met. When the child turned 15, ShinRa was to take them back. From there on they would be tested, and assaigned to sutiable positions around the company. Tseng would have 3 years with this man, this strange man he despised. He knew he would hate it, but he would brace it. He would fight against this man and never embrace him, he would loath him, revolt against him, scream and kick his way through his life. He would make the other male's life hell, and at the end of it all, he would triumph. He would never give into ShinRa, he would flee if he ever had the chance. They would never crush his soul, never change his loyalties. If ever he could, he would destroy ShinRa from the inside out.

Oh how wrong the poor child was.

"You got a name kid?" The man asked as they sat within his car. It stank of leather.

"Tseng," He flexed his hands, wrists now free from the handcuffs. He appeared distant, cold, uncaring. It was a contrast from the child he had once been. He felt like an adult now.

"Nathan Johnston. You smoke?" The man asked, producing a packet of cigs from his pocket, one hand still on the steeting wheel. He removed one of the fags by his teeth, holding the packet over to the younger male.

He eyed them curiously, vaugly aware of what they where. He didn't like the way the smelt, nor the way they looked. Besides, he refused to take anything from this stanger. He didn't say anything, just turning his head back to the window, staring as the world went by in a blur.

The man simply shrugged, putting the packet back into his pocket, regaining full control of the car. He appeared to have no intrest in actually lighting the cigarette in his mouth. He continued to make attempts at breaking the ice "Where you from? What was it like? You'll like it here, you'll see. You wanna go to the park or something? Want something to eat?"

To all of these Tseng simply responded with an apathetic shrug or simply brushed off and ignored. He had no intrest in what the man had to say, wether it was in his favour or not. He just wanted to sleep.

Time passed, and eventually they reached home. Or what he would come to know as home. It wasn't very big, but it wasn't very small either. Nathan showed him around the house, but as soon as he was allocated a bedroom it wasn't long before he was in it.  
He couldn't sleep, but it was nice to just stare at the ceiling in the dark, wrapped in bedsheets that warmed his body.

Morning came again, light sunshine pourning through his windows. He had drifted off to sleep, but only for a couple of hours. When he walked downstairs, Nathan had left breakfast on the table, it was cereal of some kind.

"Mornin'. Sit" the man said. He still had a cigarette in his mouth, but Tsneg didn't question if it was the same one from yesterday.

Tseng sat at the table, but pushed the cereal away. He didn't feel like eating right now. He didn't feel like eating ever.

Whan Nathan joined him, however, he quickly learned that was something that just wouldn't happen. "Look kid, just eat the goddamned cereal. I don't give a crap if you hate me forever, but you'll do as I say and listen to what I do. You won't mouth me off and you'll respect me. If you learn to do that around me then you won't have to break your back around the pricks you'll have to listen to at ShinRa HQ. Adapt or die."

There was a long pause, until Tseng stood from his chair. "Why? Why should I respect you? You killed my mother. You took me from my home. Why should I give you anything?"

"Because otherwise, you'll die. It wasn't me who killed your mother or took you away or whatever anyway. It was those ShinRa bastards."

"Excuses" he accused right back, "Don't try to pin the blame elsewhere. You're still someone to blame."

"A scapegoat?" He asked with a curious smirk.

Tseng took a moment to ponder over this. "No, a scapegoat is someone who recieves the blame but doesn't really deserve it..."

"Just like me?"

Tseng stopped, looked at him, and slowly sat down again. Taking his spoon, he began to eat. He submitted, learning his first lesson.

"Say kid, can you handle a weapon?"

--

_Okay, well, the fanfiction is going to go MUCH faster pased from now on Thank god, eh? XD It'll get better and shiz soon, with more action and with Tseng actually speaking more xD. Yay time skips ;D_


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